Once again, a fire (of unknown origin at this time), ripped through a home in Birdsboro, PA, yesterday causing serious damage to it. Thankfully, the parents and children are safe because they had already left for the day.
Photo courtesy of Ryan McFadden (Reading Eagle)
Sadly, two dogs, a cat and various caged pets lost their lives. A dog, cat and a bird were saved by firefighters.
Birdsboro Police Chief, Theodore Roth and neighbor, Seamus Dixon, tried to save those pets but were unable to do so because of the raging blaze.
While all of us praise Roth and Dixon for their heroic efforts to save the pets, it is Dixon’s words that struck a strong chord with me : “It’s just horrible,” he said. “I’m not sure how I’m going to get to sleep tonight without hearing those animals screeching and crying.”
I personally can’t fathom hearing my pets’ screams and not being able to get to them. It would take several people to hold me back to get into my home. I would do anything to save my pets. Anything!
These same thoughts must have gone through Dixon’s mind despite these animals not being his pets.Dixon was intensely determined to save the other pets while his wife protested his actions. He said, “I knew they (the owners of the home) had all gone to work and the kids had gotten on the bus with our kids,” Dixon said. “My wife was yelling at me, ‘Don’t go in.’ I said: ‘I’m going in. Shut up.’ ”
Even with the greatest intentions and efforts to save all of the pets, it wasn’t meant to be.
While I’m most certainly am glad that no human life was lost, I can only imagine what this family is feeling with the loss of five pets. When the wife returned to her burning home, she tried to enter her house to save her pets but was stopped by Dixon.
Fires can happen in an instant. When I lived in an apartment with a gas stove, I was trying to ignite the pilot light. Being a novice using a gas stove, it appeared the pilot light would not ignite. I tried again. In a split second, a huge cloud of flames burst in front of my face. All I saw and felt were orange flames and intense heat hitting my face and arms. I ran as fast as I could out of the apartment. The flames singed and burned away part of my hair and eyebrows and the hair on my arms. I didn’t STOP, DROP AND ROLL!
According to the U.S. Fire Administration’s website, every year 1.7 fires occur. Every year at 500,000 pets lose their lives in fires. 500,000 pets!! Staggering!! The leading cause of death in a fire is asphyxiation.
When animals are stressed, they hide. Because they are smaller, the smoke they inhale affects them worse and quicker than it does in a human.
Fire victims rarely see the flames. Fire consumes the oxygen in the air and increases the amount of deadly carbon monoxide, causing a loss of consciousness or death within minutes.
So what can we do to save out pets’ lives in the event of a fire? Before I leave my home, I check my stove/ oven, other appliances I may have been using, outlets, alarms and burning candles. I check them multiple times to make sure my pets are safe before they are left alone. I know I may drive my husband crazy at times but quite honestly I don’t care because I take no chances. My pets can’t save themselves, can’t call 911, and can’t run away. They look to us to make sure they are safe in their home environment while we are away. My pets are my family and I treat them like I treat my human family.
How safe is your home for your pets in the event of a fire?
The following is an excerpt from the Veterinary News Network on why we aren’t able to save more pets in fires.
One potential answer is the presence of smoke alarms in our homes. For more than 30 years, laws have required the presence of these life-saving devices in any home or apartment. In fact, the Public/Private Fire Safety Council has called for an elimination of residential fire deaths by the year 2020 and smoke alarms figure prominently in their plan. But the high pitched alarm that saves so many human lives is not helpful for saving our pets.
We all realize that it’s time to evacuate when the alarm sounds, but our pets don’t know that. Worse yet, the unknown sound could scare a pet into hiding, increasing our own risk for harm as we search for the missing kitty or pup.
And, the sad fact is that many pets will die in house fires because they are unable to get out of the home. This often happens when the family is away. Rescue personnel are frequently unaware of pets needing help.
The heroic efforts of firefighters may save some pets from the flames, but damage from smoke or carbon monoxide inhalation can overwhelm many. Life-saving equipment, such as oxygen masks, is usually designed for people meaning some animals may die enroute to the veterinarian.
Fortunately, many diverse groups are working to improve the survival chances of pets caught in fires. Many concerned groups, from alarm monitoring companies, like ADT Security, to local veterinarians and humane organizations are looking to save the half a million pets lost each year.
As with many tragedies, preventing the occurrence is the best first step. Pet owners are urged to “pet proof” their home and look for potential fire hazards. Always extinguish open flames before leaving your home and consider keeping younger puppies and kittens confined to prevent them from accidently starting a fire.
Firefighters are trained to look for window alert signs and make attempts to save pets. These “window clings” are often available from the American Kennel Club or visit ADT’s website (www.adt.com) to obtain a free one. Beyond using the signs, you should always update them as new pets arrive in your family!
If you return home to a burning building, you should not attempt to enter, trying save your pets! This is difficult but you need to let the professionals do their job and rescue your animals. (As I had written earlier, I don’t know if I could follow this rule.)
As mentioned, working smoke alarms are helpful to the humans, but if you aren’t there to hear the alarm, your pets could be trapped inside. According to Bob Tucker, PR Director of ADT Security, pet owners should consider monitored smoke detection services as an extra precaution. By alerting the fire department more quickly, these services increase the chances that your pets will get out safely.
Finally, due to the efforts of local veterinarians and animal volunteers, many rescue services across the nation now have access to “animal-appropriate” oxygen masks. These devices help deliver life-saving oxygen more effectively and will increase the chance of your pet’s survival. Other veterinarians teach courses on effective animal CPR techniques to first responders.
Saving pets from the horrors of fire will be easier thanks to dedicated fire fighting professionals, alarm companies, veterinarians and humane organizations all working together.
It is beyond sad to hear of any loss of life in a fire. That being said, after reading a half-million pets lose their lives every year because of fires, do you think your home is as safe as it can be to keep not only you safe from fires, but your pets as well?
Yesterday’s fire reaffirms that we need to take precautions. This family lost five pets. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen to you or me.
I will leave you with Police Chief Roth’s words:
“The most important thing is there wasn’t any human life lost and I don’t believe any firefighters were hurt,” Roth said. “As an animal lover, it’s still tragic that so many animals perished.”
Do you have other suggestions to make sure our pets are safe from fires in our homes? If so, please share!
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Everyone should have a plan to get out of your house, apartment or wherever you live for yourself , children and pets. It’s smart to take preventative measures. I hold practice drills every so often. That doesn’t mean we will follow proper protocal being if a real fire breaks out but we’ll have something to go by. There was nothing that could have been done to save all of these animals.
I agree. Everyone needs a plan. People use candles more these days to “relax”. While there’s nothing wrong with that, more fires are started because of them. If you burn candles, make sure you attend to them. At a moment’s notice, a candle can be knocked down and start a fire and escalate into what we see here. I’m not saying a candle started this fire. I’m just saying that with the increased use of candles, we need to be more cautious.
That’s so sad. There was a fire at the end of January where 11 puppies were saved in a fire. I didn’t know half a million pets die each yr.
I think candle burning and space heaters are the cause of alot of fires. Oh yeah, cigarette smoking, too.
We have to learn to be responsible.
My condolences to the Houck family.
I would like to see someone to try and stop me from saving my pets. I’d rather die with my pets instead of listening to them scream and screech before they die. I couldn’t le that happen. My pets are my children.
It’s unfortunate the police chief and the neighbor were unsuccessful to save more pets. The neighbor feels horrible because he wasn’t able to save more. It isn’t his fault and I know he feels terrible.
He will probably be haunted by those screams for awhile. I feel very badly for him. He did do good and needs to be praised for his valiant efforts.
I feel badly for the family of the pets. They had quite a few pets, it appears. That doesn’t erase any pain they feel.
The stickers you can place on your windows are not taken seriously or looked at by some firemen. It depends where you live but they don’t bother with them. It’s best to call your local fire dept to see if it’s worth the effort to put them on your windows on doors.
What else can anyone say except pass along my sympathies? To lose that many pets is unimaginable.
Good post. I am going through some of these ideas to make sure my home is safe. That is very sad for this family. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
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It depends on what started that fire. It could’ve been bbad wiring or something else they had no control over. Whatever the cause, this family will most likely blame themselves and that will be difficult to get past. It would be for me anyway.
God bless this family and RIP little ones.
RIP 🙁
This is such tragic news. It happens too much. We’re all glad no human life was lost but for all of us who love animals, we can relate to the loss of the pets they had. Nothing else I can say would matter except to say how sorry I am for their losses.
People are also using portable heaters because the cost of oil is so high. They are so dangerous if don’t attend to them either. People used to use kerosene heaters and probably still do and they are seriously dangerous. I don’ t know what people are supposed to do keep warm when the cost of heating your house is so expensive. Just be careful when using items that can cause fires.
And don’t smoke!! It’s dangerous for your health, well-being, shortens lives, increases your chances of getting lung cancer to yourself and to others and starts fires.
I assume wintertime sees more fires than any other time of the year except when we have a drought and everything is dry and one flick of a cigarette butt or whatever and can start a huge fire.
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If you own a home – a fire escape ladder is always great to have. It can save your life, and should therefore be an integral part of your residential safety. A fire at can completely engulf your home in no time at all, normally in less than a minute. Even though you may have smoke alarms and fire extinguishers there, the fire can get out of control fast and surround you with smoke, making it impossible for you to get out. To protect yourself and your entire family, you should always a fire escape ladder at your home at all times.”
It is easy to train both cats and dogs to react to a smoke detector quickly when they hear it. I start by using a old smoke detector that goes for about 5 mins. I stuff it inside a pillow to cut the volume at first. I lead them to the food – going father each time all the way far outside.
A once a month test it with their favorite food way outside (Tuna works great for cats- anything for dogs) if they have an exit. For animals inside train them to go to their carrier and then you can grab it.
Thanks, Daniel, for sharing how you train your cats and dogs to react to a smoke detector. Very good idea.!
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That is sad. :'(